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Thursday, March 10, 2011

flock quilt

This quilt has made my 8 year old son very, very happy. He has been waiting an awfully long time for it to be completed. I started this quilt because I wrote a tutorial for the flock block for Quiltivate and I just loved it, so I made enough blocks to make an entire quilt top. The blocks themselves only made a quilt 48" square, so I added a few pieced borders to make it larger. I love the traditionally pieced blocks (pinwheels included) mixed with the improvisationally pieced string borders. I also LOVE the color scheme so very much.

It finishes at about 60", and it's almost square. ;) It's a great lap size for my little guy.

I used Fairfield 80/20 batting, which has more loft than my normal warm and white batting. The extra loft threw me for a loop, so I had to rip stitches (less than a bobbin's worth), rebaste (oh, it was painful!) and then quilt again. It was worth it, because I was able to quilt it without puckers the second time around. Phew!

This is the first time I attempted machine binding both sides on a quilt this size. I was still quilting it after supper, but I had it done-binding and all-by bedtime. Woo-hoo! What a quick result! I really like the look of the top stitching on the front. It looks so finished and tidy...at least in most places.

I attached the binding on to the back of the quilt, then top stitched it on the front. I began by pinning the binding on 2 sides. I pricked my fingers way too many times, so on the final two sides I just folded the binding over as I went, without pins, and it worked about as well. It was much less painful! I did pin each corner, though, because I didn't want to mess those up. I'm pleased with my first attempt at this technique!

I was planning on binding this with Kona charcoal, but my boy picked out this little bird fabric for binding instead. I think it's a far better choice. It ties all the colors of the front and the back together. I like how it adds a bit of fun and whimsy to the quilt.

I couldn't choose just one perfect backing, so I went with a pieced back instead.

The roosters are so fun, I just couldn't pass them up. (How handy that they tie in with the name of the quilt!!!) The green is a Nicey Jane print and I patched in the grey section because I'm frugal. :)

I was telling some friends last night that if I knew how much I would love this quilt I don't know if I would have promised it to my son. I'm such a great mama, huh? No, really, I'm glad it's his and that he loves it so much.

Hello ... I am charmed with it you have still had since it and thank you for the tutorial. Congratulations and graces for sharing. (My Englishman forgives) Kisses from Spain. Ah .. and since you see I follow you jajajjaja

That is a beautiful quilt (or should I say "handsome"?). I'm sure your son will enjoy it for a long time. And I love every quilt I make and don't want to give one of them to anyone else. But if I didn't (and you didn't) we'd be sitting on a pile a mile high!

I always machine sew my bindings. It's fast and I'm not much of a hand sewist...

I really like this layout and the colors you chose look so great together. He did an awesome job choosing the binding. Isn't it neat when the kids take an interest in making choices. It's awesome that you just went with it!

Can you hear all of the sighs of relief that quilters all over the internet are making that you have now machine bound a quilt? I always sew mine on by hand but have wanted to give machine binding a try. It would really speed up my production on some of the smaller baby quilts that I need to mass produce these days.

this is a great quilt--I too really like the traditional blocks with the string border, and the colors. And perfect binding choice--your son is to be commended! I would love to try machine binding..but right now I'm distracted by the thought of machine quilting...I may have mentioned that to you a time or two before.

Wow, this is a stunning quilt! I really love the colors you chose and the blocks are lovely. I agree, the traditional blocks look fantastic next to the improv-pieced string borders. Truly beautiful. Your son is a lucky boy! :)

I love it Amanda Jean! I really, really love it. The colors are beautiful together yet I never would have picked them myself. You always end up showing us how taking a risk can pay off so beautifully. Well done!

I have tried machine binding my quilts two different ways - attaching on the back and finishing it on top (as you have which is very nice).....and then I came across Rita from Red Pepper Quilts's method and I love it! You attach the binding to the front, flip your binding to the back, pin it, and then stitch in the ditch on the front of your quilt. The beauty of this method is that you get a perfect looking front and very neat finish on the back. It's now my preferred method!

Wonderful quilt! I'm so happy to see if finished. I remember when you worked on this one at retreat last summer, but forgot who it was for. (BTW, I still haven't finished my quilt tops from retreat!) What a great feeling to have such a beautiful finish!

What a great quilt! And what great memories he (and you) will have because of this quilt. That's the part I like best. Them knowing that you put a lot of work into it just for them :) I've gotten lazy (and lucky) with binding, I just pin it on and sew it all at once. I'm sure it will come back to bite me someday...

Aww that is just so precious. What a good mama you are. My kids cherish hand made things too. EVERYTHING I want to donate/don't think is special my almost 7 yr old boy says "but mama that's a keeeeepsake!" I think it's a good thing ;)

I can certainly appreciate how difficult it is to give this up to your son - I adore the colors in this quilt, too! Love the solids and how fresh they all look together. It's just gorgeous - the solids really give the traditional blocks mod appeal, don't they? And your border is just genius. I never would have thought to put wonky piano keys on such an orderly quilt - it looks amazing!

I've also top stitched my binding (although my grandmother said her mother would never have allowed it!). Sometimes I'll make my binding a little wider than usual and then top stitch it three times in parallel rows, so that the stitching gives the quilt even more of a modern feel.

Hello, I love your quilt, so I went over to the Quiltivate site for the pattern. I think $19.00 is a bit steep for a pattern that you have to print out at home. I could buy a book filled with patterns for that price. Please don't get me wrong--You are worth every penny, but I would rather buy the pattern from you directly and skip the middleman (person). As a matter of fact, I wish you had a book for sale with all of your wonderful patterns.Quilter on a budget.

The reason I follow your blog, even though I quilt only sporadically, is because you have such a great eye for color and design. It's always a pleasure to see what you've been doing, and this particular quilt is strikingly beautiful.